PoliticsCrimeEconomyHOTFriday, May 22, 2026

Kotuwa Magistrate Orders Arrest of Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa in New Case

TLDR

Basil Rajapaksa faces arrest warrants for land purchase & Rs. 7.8M misuse.
Matara court rejected health claims; Kotuwa court cited 2014 Uva PC election funds.
AG's advice led to Public Property Act charges for Rajapaksa & others.

The Matara Magistrate’s Court has issued an arrest warrant for former Minister Basil Rajapaksa after he failed to appear in court today. The warrant was issued by Matara Magistrate Chathura Dissanayake, who rejected submissions from Rajapaksa's lawyers citing his ill health and current medical treatment abroad. The case, filed by the Police Financial Crimes Division, concerns allegations that Rajapaksa used illegally obtained funds to purchase a 1.5-acre land in the Brown's Hill area of Matara. Reports indicate that Mr. Rajapaksa has been residing in the United States for over a year. The court has instructed the police to take necessary action to arrest him and present him at the next hearing.

5 Updates

Update #6\u00b7 May 30 · 12:34 AM

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the Kotuwa Magistrate's Court via a motion on May 29th, following which Kotuwa Magistrate Pasan Amarasena issued the order to arrest former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and two others in connection with the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau for election propaganda in 2014.

Update #5\u00b7 May 29 · 10:31 AM

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, presided over by Magistrate Pasan Amarasena, has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and several others. The arrest order is in connection with the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) for political campaigning during the 2014 Uva Provincial Council election. Bhashwara Gunaratne, former Chairman of the SLTPB, and Rumi Jauffer, former SLTPB Managing Director, have also been named for arrest. The suspects are to be named under the Public Property Act based on the Attorney General's advice.

Update #4\u00b7 May 29 · 9:31 AM

The Kotuwa Magistrate has issued a new arrest warrant for former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and two others. The warrant is in connection with the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million from the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau in 2014 for election propaganda activities for the Uva Provincial Council election. The suspects are being named under the Public Property Act based on the Attorney General's advice.

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